Puro Sound Labs, the San Diego-based company “dedicated to fighting the growing epidemic of noise-induced hearing loss,” today expanded its line of volume-limited headphones for kids with a wireless over-ear model featuring active noise cancellation (ANC).

THE VERDICT
Audiophiles on a budget need look no further than Sennheiser’s HD 569 headphones.

My long-running fascination with Sennheiser headphones dates back to the first ones that I bought in 1972: the HD 414 with canary yellow ear pads. I can’t remember how or why they vanished from my collection decades back, so I recently bought an ancient pair of HD 414s on eBay, and the sound was even better than I remembered. I still have the company’s HD 580, which I bought in 1994—another model I keep coming back to. Listening to the company’s relatively new HD 569, I have the feeling they’ll still be cherished by their owners decades from now. They’re that good.

Hi-res audio specialist Astell&Kern has announced limited-edition headphones developed in partnership with Beyerdynamic and a set of universal-fit in-ear monitors (IEM) designed by IEM pioneer Jerry Harvey.

Black Friday has a lot in common with circumcision. In both cases, they generally occur whether you like it or not. And I am not a fan of things in which I have no say-so. Both of them also inflict sensations ranging from mild discomfort to outright pain. Although, women don't seem to mind it as much as men. One key difference between Black Friday and circumcision is that after Black Friday, at least you have a new TV.

Who doesn’t love waking up on Thanksgiving morning and turning on the Macy’s Day Parade? It’s a tradition in our house, even as adults. The clowns, the floats, the marching bands, the performers, and of course, Santa. What could possibly go wrong with an almost 3-mile long moving performance that goes on live, with most of the nation tuned in to watch? Well, plenty.

Black Friday has come and gone and early reports indicate it was a record-breaker — not for in-store sales, which were down slightly compared with 2017, but for online purchases. That consumers took to their phones on Black Friday to the tune of $6.2 billion bodes well for today — Cyber Monday. If the pundits at Adobe Analytics are correct, U.S. consumers will buy a record breaking $7.8 billion worth of goods online today. Will you be one of them?

So did you join in on the Black Friday frenzy with the intention of jumpstarting your holiday shopping? Or did you partake in another, more cunning plan? Your fellow readers (and we editors) want to know! Don’t forget to leave a comment if you have a deal-of-the-century story to share.

What Did You Do on Black Friday?

I wasn’t about to wait until Friday so I skipped the pumpkin pie and hit the stores Thursday evening.

4% (18 votes)

I got up insanely early and made the retail rounds, hit list in hand.

1% (6 votes)

I got up insanely early and made the retail rounds with no particular plan in mind.

1% (3 votes)

I stayed home but searched out the best Black Friday deals online.

25% (107 votes)

I stayed home with the intention of seeking out the best online deals on (Cyber) Monday.

5% (23 votes)

To hell with Black Friday…I stayed home, watched college football, and ate leftovers.